VIDEO: Man Climbs Verandas and Yells Threats at Newcastle Apartment Block, Leaves Residents Shaken

17 October 2024

Man allegedly threatened occupants and entered several units.
Police told residents “Their hands are tied” and could not prosecute.

Residents at a Newcastle apartment complex were left rattled after a man allegedly began threatening occupants of the building and climbing onto verandas in a bizarre incident that took place on 10 October 2024. The man, described as being of Aboriginal appearance, arrived at the apartment block at approximately 3:58 pm and immediately knocked on one of the units.

After receiving no response, he began pacing back and forth between the footpath and the building’s entry. Witnesses say the situation escalated when the man allegedly stood on top of a mailbox, yelling threats at the residents inside. The incident took a disturbing turn when he put on a pair of white gloves and started climbing onto residents’ verandas in a frenzied manner.

“He seemed completely out of control, yelling and moving from one unit to the next. It was terrifying,” said one resident, who wished to remain anonymous.

After attempting to enter several verandas, the man targeted a fourth unit multiple times. On his third attempt, a visitor on the veranda confronted him with a shovel and a brick in an attempt at self defense, the only tools at hand.

“I’ve never had to defend myself like that in my life,” the visitor recounted, still visibly shaken from the incident.

Concerned residents called 000, prompting an urgent police response. However, the man briefly managed to evade capture by hiding in a rear courtyard, where he was later expelled by one of the occupants.

A woman in her 70s told Newy 87.8 that she has been unable to sleep since the incident, saying she had lived in her apartment for 40 years without ever experiencing anything so terrifying. “The man was just half a metre away from me, he was on my veranda right in front of me,” she recalled. “I felt violated that someone could so easily enter my unit.”

Another woman in her 50s, visibly shaken with her hands nervously clutched together, said, “I heard cries for help, so I ran out and called 000. I thought someone had been attacked.”

A woman in her late 30s, who lives several houses down the street, also heard the commotion and rushed towards the scene. She reported passing the man, who appeared to be holding a knife.

In the aftermath, conflicting information has left many of the elderly residents at the complex even more unsettled. According to an alledged conversation with Newcastle Police, the man was arrested, and officers were called off the job after his capture. However, one officer later informed a resident that “their hands were tied” due to the man’s mental health issues, and they put him on a train to leave the area.

Further confusion arose when another call to Newcastle Police Station revealed that the incident did not appear on their system. An officer claimed to be aware of the events but was adamant that the man had never been arrested, contradicting earlier reports.

The lack of clear information and justice has left residents feeling vulnerable. Many are now questioning the police’s handling of the situation and remain anxious about the potential for future incidents.

“People here are afraid, especially the older residents,” one resident said. “We just don’t understand how something like this can happen, and there are no clear answers or consequences.”

Newcastle Police are yet to contact residents seven days after the incident, and residents are calling for greater transparency and assurance that they are safe from similar threats in the future.